Fox Eyes by Margaret Wise Brown and Garth Williams

"Whiskerchew," is the catchphrase in this retro picture book which made its debut in 1951.  It is also the word uttered by the old fox as he goes about his daily activities and notices the hiding places of other woodland animals and their secret stashes of food. They are unnerved by the red fox and are panicked into departing from their daily routines. Author, Margaret Wise broom  published over a hundred children's books and unfortunately for the literary world only lived to be forty-two. This little gem which introduced many a ninety-year old to reading is now sadly out of publication. The above Collins Picture Lions edition was published in 1980. Below is one of the beautiful illustrations by illustrator  Garth Williams and you can see the fox spying through the rocks.

Carrot Tops and Cottontails by Jan Mark & Tony Ross

Being quite a sophisticated picture book, I think this picture book would really be apreciated by an upper primary student for its descriptive language, its use of rhythm, illiteration, and its at times off-beat humour. The carrots are brazen and vain and are indignant that the rabbits never pay them the attention and the respect they think they deserve. So they set about on a campaign to harass the rabbits to arouse their attention at the very least, but they get far more than they bargain for. This is a very clever and witty fable which explains why vegetables never speak and why no carrot is ever safe from rabbits. Ross' illustrations are exceptional and the sassiness of the carrots and the outrage of the rabbits are beautifully captured. I am still yet to find his famous I Don't Give a Damn About this Dumb Toilet..